In 1984, Richard and Ann Reahard were offered $1.2 million by a developer
for their 40-acre parcel of land, containing 126 undeveloped
residential lots, in Lee County, Florida. But the deal collapsed
when the county passed a law that sharply restricted development
to allow the construction of only one house on the entire 40
acres - a huge lot of about 800 feet of road frontage and about
one mile of river and bay frontage. The value of the property
plummeted to $40,000.

The Reahards then spent five years negotiating with the county
for compensation. Those talks broke down and the couple filed a
lawsuit in Lee County Circuit Court. In 1991, a federal district
court awarded the Reahards $700,000. The county appealed the
decision to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals which sent the
case back to the federal district court for a re-trial. Again,
the federal district judge ruled for the Reahards.

The county continued to file appeals. In February 1997, the
Reahards once again found themselves filing their lawsuit in Lee
County Circuit Court just as they had done eight years
previously. A jury awarded the Reahards $600,000 for the
original taking plus interest, bringing the total to $1.4
million. Later, the judge ordered Lee County to pay $455,000 in
attorneys fees and another $100,000 in costs for a total
settlement to $2 million.

Not surprisingly, Lee County filed yet another appeal. In
February 1998, Florida's 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the
settlement. The Reahards are still waiting to see if the county
will appeal.
Source: Defenders of Property Rights